Impairment of Regulatory T-Cell Function in Autoimmune Thyroid Disease

摘要

BackgroundAutoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) pathogenesis may result from a loss of immune tolerance to thyroid antigens. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) control immune responses, prevent excessive inflammation, and may be dysfunctional in AITD. We investigated the role of Tregs in Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) and Graves' disease (GD), complicated by Down syndrome (DS). Our goal was to identify differences in CD4⁺CD25^high Treg function or number in patients with GD and HT, compared to healthy controls (HC).